Waste — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Waste — Emissions was 751 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
751 kt
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
16th
of 201 countries
All-time high
751 kt
in 2023
All-time low
130 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions in South Africa, 1961–2023

200400600800196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

In 2023, waste — emissions in South Africa stood at 751 kt. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions in South Africa peaked at 751 kt in 2023 and was at its lowest, 130 kt, in 1961.

That places South Africa 16th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Waste — Emissions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Waste — Emissions (CH4) in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 130 kt
1962 134 kt +3.1%
1963 139 kt +3.7%
1964 144 kt +3.6%
1965 149 kt +3.5%
1966 153 kt +2.7%
1967 158 kt +3.3%
1968 163 kt +3.2%
1969 169 kt +3.7%
1970 163 kt -3.6%
1971 184 kt +12.9%
1972 191 kt +3.8%
1973 198 kt +3.7%
1974 204 kt +3.0%
1975 207 kt +1.5%
1976 213 kt +2.9%
1977 222 kt +4.2%
1978 228 kt +2.7%
1979 234 kt +2.6%
1980 241 kt +3.0%
1981 250 kt +3.7%
1982 262 kt +4.8%
1983 265 kt +1.1%
1984 266 kt +0.4%
1985 277 kt +4.1%
1986 286 kt +3.2%
1987 294 kt +2.8%
1988 302 kt +2.7%
1989 348 kt +15.2%
1990 360 kt +3.4%
1991 368 kt +2.2%
1992 373 kt +1.4%
1993 383 kt +2.7%
1994 377 kt -1.6%
1995 408 kt +8.2%
1996 421 kt +3.2%
1997 448 kt +6.4%
1998 456 kt +1.8%
1999 462 kt +1.3%
2000 474 kt +2.6%
2001 482 kt +1.7%
2002 501 kt +3.9%
2003 508 kt +1.4%
2004 514 kt +1.2%
2005 528 kt +2.7%
2006 550 kt +4.2%
2007 564 kt +2.5%
2008 581 kt +3.0%
2009 572 kt -1.5%
2010 590 kt +3.1%
2011 604 kt +2.4%
2012 661 kt +9.4%
2013 686 kt +3.8%
2014 686 kt +0.0%
2015 686 kt +0.0%
2016 688 kt +0.3%
2017 700 kt +1.7%
2018 706 kt +0.9%
2019 715 kt +1.3%
2020 718 kt +0.4%
2021 729 kt +1.5%
2022 739 kt +1.4%
2023 751 kt +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 148.78 kt 130 kt 169 kt 9
1970s 204.4 kt 163 kt 234 kt 10
1980s 279.1 kt 241 kt 348 kt 10
1990s 405.6 kt 360 kt 462 kt 10
2000s 527.4 kt 474 kt 581 kt 10
2010s 672.2 kt 590 kt 715 kt 10
2020s 734.25 kt 718 kt 751 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 13 Pakistan 820 kt compare
  2. 14 Colombia 759 kt compare
  3. 15 Canada 757 kt compare
  4. 17 Morocco 702 kt compare
  5. 18 Republic of Korea 701 kt compare
  6. 19 Algeria 693 kt compare

See the full ranking of 253 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions in South Africa?
Waste — emissions in South Africa was 751 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 751 kt in 2023.
What is the lowest waste — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 130 kt in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for waste — emissions?
South Africa ranks 16th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Waste — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Waste — Emissions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-ch4-fao-tier-1/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Waste — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
253 places, 14,574 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf